I’m committed to public service, but when I was looking for a job in the early 1990s, government careers weren’t readily available. I learned that Booz Allen was already consulting with government agencies in multiple mission areas—it just wore a different hat, that of a strategic advisor.
1991
Georgetown University
M.A., Security Studies
2000
Syracuse University
B.A., Political Science
1988
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Since joining Booz Allen, I’ve worked in a wide variety of markets and “changed jobs” dozens of times. Each assignment brings new opportunities to develop skills. Rather than over-developing or over-relying on one skill, the nature of our assignments allows me to diversify my professional competencies. Difficult problems require smart people, and I find that the quality of the people at Booz Allen—as thinkers, doers, and collaborators toward common solutions—is unparalleled. That is a big motivator to stay at the firm.
As a policy wonk, I like to focus on issues as they’re breaking—or just before. My team lives on the leading edge of problems, helping clients frame and anticipate issues and better understand their potential implications. Over the past few years, we have advised clients as they grappled with emerging, highly complex mission challenges. For example, how do we better share terrorism information in a post-9/11 world? What are the best strategies for enhancing our national preparedness posture? How does government organize to deal with new threats, such as cybersecurity?
Three things motivate me about my work. First, I enjoy opportunities to work with clients to solve problems. The essence of being a consultant is exploring a problem from multiple perspectives, bounding it, formulating strategies, and ultimately implementing solutions. Second, we have the ability at Booz Allen to employ these techniques on a diverse set of client problems. Third, Booz Allen consultants enjoy thinking about hard problems—and the chance to develop solutions in an open, collaborative environment.
Because my colleagues have been generous with their time, I’ve had dozens of mentors, primarily in two categories—those who help me refine my skills and understand how to do something better, and those who provide perspective to my thinking with their diverse insights. At Booz Allen, everyone recognizes the value of a social and professional network, and mentoring is highly valued because it enriches that network.
I find that Booz Allen is more creative in its thinking about solutions. There’s no universal model for solving problems. The firm recognizes the power of standardized approaches, but we also go beyond to understand the uniqueness of each problem in the context of the client’s mission. While other firms lead with solutions, we focus squarely on the client mission first and then determine the right set of solutions for that particular client.
Today, I’m immersed in cyber technologies and the forces of change that are rippling through the government market. Of particular interest to me—and increasingly to my clients—is the tricky balancing act in cyberspace between security, privacy, transparency, and open government. Booz Allen is helping me get ready for the next stage of my career by enabling me to explore all the dimensions of this challenge—the legal and policy issues, the enabling technologies, and the socio-cultural implications.
With the arrival of the Obama Administration, there’s a dominant trend across client missions to enter the “cyber realm.” For our society, there are three critical outcomes in this realm: empower citizens with information, enable the economy to recover and expand, and ensure national security. One of my team’s primary focal points is Internet governance—how will the Internet evolve over the next decade and which actors and what laws/policies will shape that evolution. Anticipating these types of challenges positions our client to better realize the opportunities of and manage the risks associated with cyberspace.
Every company has its Core Values on full display when times are good, but adversity provides the real test of their enduring power. My proudest moments at Booz Allen were after 9/11, when every staff member pulled together in support of our clients. Each person put client service and mission first, and our firm demonstrated remarkable flexibility in supporting our efforts.
